Sun Devils capture first softball title

OKLAHOMA CITY – Katie Burkhart threw a four-hitter, Kaitlin Cochran finally showed off her hitting prowess with a three-run home run and Arizona State claimed its first Women’s College World Series title with an 11-0 win against Texas A&M on Tuesday night.

Burkhart struck out 13 to win her 11th straight decision, and Cochran demonstrated why opponents started the World Series by intentionally walking her six straight times.

She went the opposite way for her 14th home run of the season, giving the sixth-seeded Sun Devils (66-5) a commanding 4-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning in Game 2 of the best-of-3 championship series.

Mandy Urfer reached on a fielding error by third baseman Jamie Hinshaw, and Rhiannon Baca followed with a base hit that also deflected off Hinshaw’s glove to bring Cochran to the plate in a situation where the Aggies (57-10) wouldn’t think about walking her.

Jackie Vasquez, who was hitting behind her, had already won a semifinal game with a three-run home run and she had driven in Arizona State’s first run with a RBI single in the third.

Cochran drove the first pitch over the left-field fence and was greeted by a mob of teammates when she completed her trip around the bases.

The Sun Devils turned it into a rout with seven runs in the seventh inning, including a two-run single by Caylyn Carlson and a three-run home run by Mindy Cowles that caromed off a canopy over the seats in left field.

The margin ended up matching the second-most lopsided game in World Series history.

The Sun Devils rushed out of the dugout and celebrated in a huddle on the infield.

Burkhart pitched around a single by Natalie Villarreal and a walk to Megan Gibson (41-4) to start the fourth inning, and didn’t face much trouble the rest of the way.